Back To The Garden
"Back To The Garden" is a mini-story that is part of the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series. The Story One day Empath and Smurfette joined Tapper in an Imaginarium setting that he had chosen to visit. There the three of them saw the most beautiful garden that had ever existed. "Great Ancestors," Empath exclaimed as he looked at the surroundings. "This smurf never thought to behold such wondrous beauty even in an Imaginarium setting." "But what is this place that we are visiting, Tapper?" Smurfette asked. "This is the garden of Eden, my fellow Smurfette, which the Almighty had created when He had smurfed the heavens and the earth during His six days of creation," Tapper said. "It is where He had smurfed the first man and the first woman to populate the earth." "But Brainy says that the earth is millions of years old, Tapper," Empath said. "How does that connect with what your holy book seems to say about the age of the world?" "I have to confess that I just simply don't know all the answers, my fellow Empath," Tapper said. "But that in itself doesn't make the words of the Almighty any less true. It all smurfs down to having faith in the One who does know everything and who has smurfed the end from the beginning." "What is that tree in the middle of the garden that's so different from the others?" Smurfette asked, pointing to a specific tree. "That is the Tree Of Life, my dear Smurfette," Tapper answered. "It is one of many trees that Adam and Eve, the first two humans, could smurf from, but that tree is very special in that it could smurf eternal life unto whoever smurfs from its fruit." "This smurf remembers seeing that tree in this smurf's dreams, Tapper," Empath said. "Unfortunately, when this smurf tried to get near the tree, it was surrounded by a ring of fire that just sprang up from out of nowhere." "That unfortunately is a message from the Almighty that no one but those who are redeemed in the blood of His only begotten Son can smurf from the tree, Empath," Tapper said. "He did say in the book of Revelation that those who are overcomers can smurf from the Tree Of Life, which is now in the paradise of God." "Oooh, that tree smurfs even more beautiful than the Tree Of Life, and its fruit smurfs really delicious," Smurfette said, as her attention was drawn to another tree. "That is the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil, Smurfette," Tapper said. "That is the one tree the Almighty said that they could never smurf from, for on the day that they would eat of the tree, they would surely die." "But they really didn't die on the day that they ate of its fruit, Tapper," Empath said. "How could you explain that?" "Well, given that they were the first two humans that the Almighty had smurfed, I believe that it was simply His first act of grace and mercy that He had smurfed upon His creation, Empath," Tapper said. "Had neither of them smurfed from the tree in the first place, the punishment might surely smurf into effect for whoever else would have been smurfed from Adam and Eve, but that's something that we'll never know for sure." "But what's wrong with what Adam and Eve have smurfed, Tapper?" Smurfette asked. "Wouldn't it be better for them to know what is good and evil?" "What's wrong with what they smurfed is that they simply didn't trust in what the Almighty had smurfed them regarding the tree, but instead believed the lie of the serpent, who in Revelation is revealed to be Satan," Tapper said. "They were smurfed into believing that the Almighty was smurfing something good from them, but in reality what the Almighty was doing was trying to smurf something bad from them, something that in His infinite wisdom He knew would corrupt all of His creation, including us." "This smurf would like to see how this scenario would play itself out, according to how your holy book describes it, Tapper," Empath requested. "I have already programmed the Imaginarium setting for smurfing out the scenario, if the two of you are interested in smurfing it for yourselves," Tapper said. He then said, "Imaginarium, please smurf out the story of the Garden of Eden, observer mode only." "Story initiated, observer mode active," the Imaginarium announced. And then the three Smurfs saw with their own eyes a swirl of dust that had gathered from all corners of the garden into one space, forming a human body with all its internal organs, until it became a solid shape. Then the human figure opened his eyes as he drew his first breath and then looked at himself and his surroundings. "Who am I?" he asked. "What am I? And where am I?" "You are called Man, and you have been created in My image," a voice had answered. "Where you are is the place called Eden, and your task is to take care of My garden." "And who are You?" the man asked. "I am the Lord God Almighty, and your name is Adam, for you have been created from the earth," the voice answered again. "You are free to eat from every tree in the garden, but there is one tree that you are not permitted to eat from, which is called the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil." The Almighty then directed Adam's attention to the tree in question. "On the day that you eat from the tree, you shall surely die. Do you understand?" "Yes, Lord, I understand," Adam replied. "Am I the only creature in this garden?" "There are other creatures that I have created that will become your helpers, for it is not good for you to be alone," the Almighty answered. "You will have one that will be your complement, your companion." And so as the three Smurfs watched as though it were a movie, the Almighty had brought forth all kinds of creatures for the man to give names to, as he looked at what the creatures could do in relation to what the Almighty had created them for. Despite the varied appearances of the creatures, Adam didn't seem to be afraid of any of them, as they all behaved as if they were under the direct control of the Almighty's power. Near the end of the day, though, the man looked frustrated, as he could see that none of the creatures that were brought forth to him were suitable enough to be his complement or his companion. "You must rest, for I will create that suitable companion for you," the Almighty told Adam. As Adam fell into a deep sleep, the three Smurfs then saw that the Almighty had surgically extracted a rib from the man's body and then closed it up so seamlessly that it didn't appear that he was ever operated on in such a fashion. They saw that the Almighty had taken the rib and started creating another human body, this time one that had a female appearance. Like the first human, this one also opened her eyes when she drew her first breath of life, and then she was brought forth to the man, who had awakened to see the new creature that was made. "Now this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh," Adam said when he first saw her. "She shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man." "Oh, this is just so beautiful to watch," Smurfette said as she saw the first two humans embrace each other. "But why are the two humans both naked?" Empath asked. "That is how the Almighty had created them, Empath, and when they were first created, neither of them smurfed any shame," Tapper said. "It was only after man had smurfed the first sin that he would need to be clothed, for his nakedness would reveal his shame before the Almighty and before all others." "But where does the serpent smurf into the picture in how he smurfs that to the two of them?" Smurfette asked. "You will smurf it happen soon enough, Smurfette," Tapper said, and as the three of them continued to watch, the woman befriended a serpent that was in the garden, not seeming surprised that it was able to talk to her. The both of them continued to carry on as if nothing out of the ordinary took place. Then suddenly the serpent asked, "Did God really say that you couldn't eat from every tree in the garden?" "The Lord God Almighty said that we could eat from every tree in the garden," the woman answered. "But there is one tree that He said we couldn't even touch, which is the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil, or else we would die." "Why would you believe that?" the serpent said. "Surely you wouldn't die from even touching the tree, for the Lord God knows that on the day you eat from the tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will be just like God, knowing both good and evil." "Are you sure about that?" the woman asked, sounding very uncertain. "I don't think that disobeying God is a really good idea." "Why would the Lord God create you in His image if He never meant for you to be everything that He is?" the serpent said. "Look at how beautiful the fruit of the tree is, and imagine how wonderful it must taste. What's the point of God creating such a tree to exist if it was never meant for you to eat from it, or to enjoy ever gaining wisdom from eating it? It's your choice whether you want to believe God's word or my word, but think of what you might be missing out on." Then the serpent departed, and the woman was left staring at the tree in wonder, thinking of what the serpent had said unto her about it. "Can this tree really make me as wise as the Lord God Almighty?" she asked herself as she got closer to it and examined the fruit for herself. It looked very tempting as it was just sitting there right out into the open, waiting for her to pluck one of its fruits from its branches. Then after what seemed to be a long period of deliberation, the woman took hold of the tree's fruit and started to eat from it. Adam came over to see the woman eating fruit from the tree, and asked, "What are you doing?" "Come and join me with a harmless feast from the Tree Of Knowledge," the woman answered. "But didn't the Lord God say that if we eat of the tree, we shall surely die?" Adam asked. "Does it look like I'm dying?" the woman said. "I've eaten only one of its fruits, and I haven't died yet. Besides, it will open your eyes, and then you will be just like God, knowing good and evil." Adam looked at the tree as if he was also deliberating whether it was worth disobeying God to believe what the woman was saying about the tree. Then he also took hold of its fruit and started eating from it. "Oh dear, I don't like smurfing about what's going to happen to them, Tapper," Smurfette said, sounding worried as she continued to watch. Then suddenly the two humans seem to act as if they were hit with the revelation of the knowledge they had supposedly gained from eating of the tree, and the both of them looked at themselves and felt shameful and exposed. They both created loin coverings for themselves out of fig leaves and hid themselves from the Almighty's presence during the cool of the day when he came to visit them. “Where are you, Adam?” the Lord God asked. “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and so I hid myself,” the man answered from his hiding place. “Who told you that you were naked?" the Lord God said. "Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate,” the man replied. “What is this you have done?” the Lord God now asked the woman. “The serpent deceived me, and I ate,” the woman replied. At the same moment, the serpent appeared in the garden, trying to look as if he had done nothing of the sort which he was accused of doing. The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” The serpent just quietly slithered away without so much as saying a word in his defense. Then the Lord God said to the woman, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” "You mean that all females are cursed to smurf their children in pain because of that?" Smurfette asked Tapper. "I'm afraid that's what the Almighty means when He had smurfed the curse upon the first woman, Smurfette," Tapper said. "But the curse that He had smurfed upon the man is much worse, for it would also apply to all creatures, both male and female." Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” "Oh, Adam, what are we going to do? Where are we going to go if we can't stay here and have children?" the woman asked, sounding very worried. "We will find a place to live and raise a family that we can take care of," Adam answered. "From now on, your name will be Eve, for you will be the mother of all living." "But we can't just leave here without any covering for ourselves," Eve commented. Then Adam noticed something nearby. "Look! The Lord God has provided coverings for us. They look as if they were made from the skins of animals." "Skins of animals?" Eve asked as she and Adam put the coverings on. "You mean the Lord God made something die just so we can have coverings for ourselves?" "I'm afraid so, Eve," Adam replied. "This means that we will have to sacrifice a living animal unto the Lord God so that we and our children may also be covered." Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..." Soon a ring of fire appeared around the Tree Of Life, and a group of cherubim also appeared in the garden to drive both the man and the woman out of it. As the story ended and the three Smurfs returned to reality before they left the Imaginarium, Tapper asked, "Do either of you see the importance of this story?" "It just seems cruel that the Almighty had smurfed His children out of a perfect garden all because of that one sin, Tapper," Smurfette said. "But this smurf does understand why He had to do it, Smurfette," Empath said. "If He allowed that sin to go unpunished, how long would it be before mankind corrupts itself with so much sin that the Almighty would be forced to act?" "Indeed, and the Almighty cannot allow sin to smurf forever in His creation, which is why He would in time require the blood of a sinless man, namely that of His only begotten Son, to redeem mankind and creation from all sin," Tapper said. "And that is the only way that any of us could ever eat from the Tree Of Life?" Empath asked. "Aye, Empath, for He Himself smurfed that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can smurf to God the Father except through Him," Tapper said. "That is the only way that any of us can smurf back to the garden." Notes * The title of the story comes from the refrain of Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock", which was performed by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. * Parts of the dialogue come from the New King James translation of the Holy Bible that were modified to fit the flow of the story. Category:Empath the Luckiest Smurf stories Category:Mini-stories Category:VicGeorge2K9's articles Category:Tapper's Bible lessons Category:Biblical stories